North students take the plunge for a good cause

Friday

Feb 21, 2014 at 8:28 PM

As brisk winds swept across the beach, high school students ran into the cold waters of Lake Lure — twice — for a good cause.

By RENEE BINDEWALDTimes-News Staff Writer

LAKE LURE — As brisk winds swept across the beach, high school students ran into the cold waters of Lake Lure — twice — for a good cause.Students in the National Honor Society at North Henderson High took part in their third Polar Plunge to benefit the Special Olympics of Henderson County on Friday. The plunge was originally scheduled as a Valentine's Day event, but school was cancelled as the area cleaned up after Winter Storm Pax.Lake Lure Inn and Spa Engineer Lou Welge said the water was between 40 and 50 degrees Friday, but last week the lake was frozen over, with snow on top of the ice. Sixteen-year-old Teague Graham was not planning on plunging after school, but said his English teacher, Rachel Durant, talked him into it at the last minute. His mother, Lois Khalafalla of Edneyville, drove out to the lake to sign his waiver so that he could take the plunge with his classmates."I was excited; I wanted to grab my camera and come down," Khalafalla said. "He was shaking his head going, 'no, no, no pictures.' Here I am, camera in tow."Since Graham is a member of the Air Force ROTC, he already had a change of clothes with him, but did not have a towel. "I figure I'll get cold and then I'll be out and I'll be fine," he said.About 15 students from the club, wearing bikinis, trunks and tank tops, raced into the water for the plunge alongside Principal Frank Edney and Assistant Principal Jessica Banks. After just a few seconds, the first student ran back out. Once everyone was out of the water, Banks turned back to the students and challenged them to a second dip. Every single student and teacher stopped for a moment, then ran back into the water. Seventeen-year-old Seth Smith said going in the second time was worse than the first because he knew how cold it was going to be. National Honor Society President Lindsay Patton disagreed."I was already half-numb from the first time," she said. As students dried off and recovered at the picnic area, they snacked on chips, cookies and sodas as Durant passed out their souvenir T-shirts.As Graham entered the picnic area, Patton noticed he didn't have a towel and gave him an extra one she had brought along. "My freshman and sophomore year we did the polar plunge and it was a lot of fun, and there was a lot of school spirit with it, so when we have the opportunity to do it this year we had to do it; there was no question," she said.Reach Bindewald at 694-7890 or renee.bindewald@blueridgenow.com.